NelBran Glass
NelBran Glass, founded in 1943 as the Nelson–Brantley Glass Company, supplies and installs commercial plate and specialty glass and curtain wall systems to the construction industry. It is headquartered at 4132 2nd Avenue South in Avondale.
The company started as a retail operation that supplied glass for automotive repair, interior design, store displays and other uses. Larry Striplin, Jr bought the company in 1963 and oversaw its growth into one of the largest glass contractors in the United States, with work in the region as well as in the Middle East. Meanwhile the company's retail division expanded into car audio, capitalizing on the popularity of audiocasette players. That sideline was soon spun off into Tape Town—Alabama, with an 18,000 square-foot showroom stocked with 20 demonstration booths.
NelBran operated as part of Circle S Industries, which also ran the Decatur Iron and Steel Works, American Fine Wire in Selma and other businesses. Most of those other entities were sold off in the early 1990s. Striplin sold NelBran's retail division to Birmingham's Lazarus Capital Partners in 2011. The remaining contract company continued to operate independently as Nelson Brantley Glass Contractors Inc.
References
- "Success Story–Striplin Way" (April 15, 1967) Billboard
- Cooper, Lauren B. (March 22, 2011) "NelBran Glass acquired by Lazarus Capital Partners." Birmingham Business Journal
- Tomberlin, Michael (March 23, 2011) "Birmingham's Lazarus Capital Partners acquires Nel-Bran Glass' retail business." Birmingham News
External links
- NelBran Glass website